"Open fire! Now!"
This was the first thing Kiana heard when she burst into the bridge. She was met with a blinding flash of white light. The artillery of the Helios unleashed a barrage of rounds onto the oncoming swarm of unmanned drones.
"Kiana! Did Kriemhilde board the Fafnir?" Theresa asked, not even peeling her eyes off the bridge.
"Yeah. We separated at the hangar bay. I thought you said we still had time," Kiana said.
"Me too. Mei and Bronya are in their quarters resting up. I need you to be at top performance for when we break through."
Kiana nodded.
"How about our backup?" Theresa asked, crossing her arms.
"No word on them yet. I've tried but it looks like we've entered the jamming range of HQ's beacons," Kiana said.
"What else is new…," Himeko crushed the can in her hand. She placed her hand on Kiana's shoulder. "Ready?"
"I… am more than ready." Kiana's eyes began to glow slightly.
Himeko felt a growing chilly sensation through her gloves. Whatever had happened to Kiana. Whatever it was that Theresa had called her. It was changing her. Himeko removed her hand from her shoulder and pat her back.
"Just don't go and turn HQ into a bloodstain. Some of those valkyries are just following orders-"
"I don't care. I'm not losing anyone over orders… ever again." Kiana clenched her fist, remembering that day their father had died.
Theresa glanced at Kiana out of the corner of her eye. She pressed a few buttons on the screen. "Kriemhilde, how's it looking out there?"
[I didn't think I'd be piloting my own ship like this again! Ahahaha!] Kriemhilde's laughter echoed from the comms channel.
A wry smile appeared on Theresa's face. "Just make sure to keep some of the fire off us."
[I'll try but the Overseer is sending this things one after another. I might run out ammo before we can even break through the Defensive Line] Kriemhilde mentioned.
"That… is a possibility. If that happens, return to the Helios. We'll try to restock you with whatever we have," Theresa said.
[I appreciate the sentiment but I personally modified this bird. It uses specialized ammo that I have to make trips to restock on so… I don't think a few anti-tank rounds from the Helios are gonna cut it on my ship's guns]she replied.
"Great… just great."
[Don't worry though. If I do run out of my special rounds, my ship has backup guns and I can switch to standard ammo.]
"I hate it when you do that. At least lead with it! Ugh! Concentrate fire on the Defensive Line! You! Charge the Helios's main cannon now. I want you to direct all power to the siege cannon and the forward shields!" Theresa barked.
"Yes, Headmaster!"
A collective reply came from the ship's crew. All of the crew members operated in unison like cogs in a well-oiled machine.
The skies lit up before them. Explosions set off like fireworks as if it were New Year's. Drones swarmed the Helios angrily, unleashing a bombardment of Honkai-powered blasts onto the ship's shields.
Meanwhile, Kiana tracked an extremely fast black shape moving dizzyingly across the open sky. It twisted, circled, and performed aerial somersaults around the drones, all the while, unleashing a slew of gunfire onto the UAV's.
If there were some things Kiana had to give credit to her aunt for, it was her ability to pilot a ship and her skill in combat. If she had been there that day…
Kiana shook her head. Now was not the time to think about that. Kriemhilde had made her choice a long time ago. And now, Kiana was determined not to follow in her aunt's footsteps. She would get Cecilia back no matter what.
"Major! Headmaster! Command ship spotted!"
[Theresa, you seeing it, right? That's one of Schicksal's top-class battleships. It's an AEGIR Class Frigate. How do you want to proceed?] Kriemhilde asked.
Theresa crossed her arms. She furrowed her brow and turned to Himeko. "Can we evade it?"
"No, we've entered firing range," Himeko said.
"Proceed. Redirect all power to frontal shields and try to minimize the damage. Kriemhilde, try to take out its batteries to reduce its overall firepower. The rest of you! All hands on deck! This is one of Grandpa's latest battleship models! The specs on this thing are off the charts!" Theresa barked.
The battleship in question loomed in the distance before them. A sleek violet battleship that floated like a silent sentinel before the treasure room. From this distance, the number of artillery it had on its deck couldn't be counted but judging by the amount of shapes that could be seen, it was a lot. There were no attempts made from the command ship to hail them down and get them to retreat.
Not that Theresa would. She promised Kiana and Siegfried that nothing would happen to Cecilia. And she was not about to quit now.
"Headmaster, they're not hailing."
"Open fire."
And so, the first volley of shots were fired from the Helios.
Multiple flashes of light exploded in the distance as the shots landed, striking the ship's shields.
"Tch! Don't let up-"
"Ma'am! They're returning fire!" one of the personnel said.
"Tch! Kiana! Go up on the deck! We'll weaken the shields. Just cut that thing in half with Shamash!" Theresa ordered.
"Hah?"
"What?"
[Theresa… are you insane!?]
"Kiana cut that gigantic mech and the entirety of Nagazora in half with Shamash. Cutting one measly battleship the size of an entire street shouldn't be a problem," Theresa said.
[Kiana-]
"I'll do it. Give me a bit. And tell me when to fire," Kiana said. She turned around and left the bridge without saying another word.
"Headmaster-"
"Listen to me. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation. We're going to use one of our shots on this thing. Kiana will do the rest," Theresa said.
"Remember what happened to her after she cut that mech in half! She was in a coma-"
"It won't happen this time," Theresa said.
Himeko's lips thinned into a line.
[Theresa-]
"Just trust me. Think of this as a hunch-"
[A hunch!? Theresa, if my niece dies right here, you're next.] Kriemhilde said.
"No worries. If Kiana dies, I'll do it myself for you," Theresa shot back.
A blast of heat swept over Kiana's face as she stepped onto the deck. A series of explosions echoed above her and the Fafnir zoomed above the Helios. Gripping Shamash in her hand, she walked across the deck.
Flames licked at her feet with each step she took. She could feel the Divine Key's energy thrumming in her hand. The weapon pulsated, as if it were begging for her to unleash its flames at whatever stood before her.
"Just… like before but… dial it back."
Flames surged around Kiana. The flames became more intense, scorching the metal floor of the Helios's deck. A dull humming sound came from the blade, making as if it were singing happily in response to her decision.
The Helios shuddered as the shots from the command ship impacted the shields. A series of fire and return fires were exchanged for several minutes. That was until Kiana heard a whirring sound coming from within the ship.
A flash of yellow light momentarily blinded her. A beam of condensed yellow energy shot forth from the Helios, striking the command ship. A brief flash of golden light followed by a resounding boom.
[Kiana, now!]
"Got it." Kiana gripped the Judgement of Shamash tightly with both hands. The surging flames around her grew brighter, gathering into the blade itself.
[Charging Judgement of Shamash]
"Limiter Restriction. Lift Level 1."
[Limiter Level 1 Lifted]
[Judgement of Shamash - First Power]
Kiana's eyes glowed brightly. She raised the blade above her head and took one step forward. With a mighty swing, she unleashed a powerful wave of flames that sliced across the air. The wave of fire traveled fast, reaching its target in a matter of seconds.
And then, a flash of orange light lit up the entire sky. The blast outshone the sun for a brief second, making the sky go dark. A boom louder than numerous explosives simultaneously going off was accompanied by a blast wave. The clouds were instantly dispersed and the Helios shook and shuddered in the air.
Kiana swung the blade with a flourish as the glow from Shamash died down.
From the cockpit of her ship, Kriemhilde watched the events unfold. It's just like when we fought. Hmph, Brother, if only you could see just how strong Kiana has become.
Unbeknownst to her, Theresa was having similar thoughts. Cecilia, your little girl isn't a little girl anymore.
The door to the bridge opened and Kiana walked in. "Ship is confirmed destroyed."
"Good. Push through. Kriem. Wipe out all the stragglers," Theresa said.
[Roger.]
"It's been a while since we've been to HQ, huh, Kiana?" Himeko said, smirking at the falling charred remains of the battleship that once blocked their path.
"They really rolled out the red carpet for us," she said.
"How did they find out so fast? Even for Grandpa, this response time is a little too fast," Theresa said.
"Ma'am! We have an incoming transmission from an encrypted channel."
Theresa looked at the personnel before nodding. "I know who it is. Patch him through."
The crew member nodded and pressed a few buttons.
A video screen popped up before them. Kiana narrowed her eyes when she saw who it was. That unmistakable shade of blonde hair accompanied by those cunning, serpentine green eyes.
[Theresa. What do you ever plan on doing with that little toy of yours? If it hadn't been for that girl with Shamash, you would have never made it through.]
"Grandfather," Theresa replied curtly.
Otto seemed unfazed by her tone of voice. Instead, he kept an affable smile on his face as he continued on. [Now, now. Please be a good girl and go back to St. Freyja. I know you're going through a teenage rebellion right now, so I won't hold it against you.]
Kiana clenched her fists. This man was treating them like children.
"You-... I'll kill you-"
Theresa held her hand up, causing Kiana to go quiet.
[Oh? Siegfried and Cecilia's daughter? I have to give you my utmost thanks. Because of you, Subject K-423 has grown into a fine specimen, worthy of becoming the vessel for a Herrscher. Just know that your efforts have not gone to waste at all.] Otto said.
The skin around her arms began to turn dark. Her fingernails grew extending into talons and her sclera began to turn black. This man. This man was mocking her.
"Once I get over there, I'll march into your office and kill you!" Kiana snarled.
[Ahahaha! I'll be waiting then. But for now, Theresa, you should really go back. After all, you wouldn't want your little soldier here to get hurt, would you?] Otto asked.
"Hmph. Oh, Grandpa. You're as kind and loving as ever… but… like you said, this is my rebellious phase so," Theresa raised her hand.
The crew members sprung into action. Energy gathered into the Helios's forward firing cannons. The blue light at the front began to grow brighter and brighter.
"I'm going to have to politely say no." she met her Grandfather's characteristic smirk with one of her own.
"Schicksal's Main Base. Locked on. Ready. Set. Fire."
A blast of blue light erupted from the Helios, crossing the distance between it and the Helios in a microscopic amount of time. The barrier lit up violently before a bright burst of blue light engulfed all of Schicksal's main headquarters for a few moments.
The Helios shook as winds created by the blast battered the ship.
"Confirmed! We've breached the Himmel Line!" one of the crew members said.
[Pfft… ahahaha! Oh dear! You're far more determined than I give you credit for. Oh well, then. Come on, Theresa. You went through all that work to break into your dear old grandfather's house. No more turning back, right?] And with that, Otto cut the link.
"Ma'am! We've exhausted 60% of our power reserves."
Theresa bit her thumb. "Push forward. Kriemhilde, you copy?"
[Loud and clear.]
"The Himmel Defensive Line has been breached. But, the ship's main power battery has exhausted over 60% of its power. We need you to keep whatever comes at us. We're directing whatever power we have left into maintaining the shields," Theresa said.
[Leave it to me.]
A loud boom echoed from the outside as Kriemhilde's ship shattered the sound barrier.
The ship flew past. Impacts from the satellite fire caused the ship to shake violently.
"Everyone brace!" Theresa ordered.
A flash of light slammed into the Helios's energy shields. The hull vibrated from the impact, causing all inside to stumble and lose their balance. Theresa groaned, using the railing to pick herself up.
"Auntie. We're getting honkai readings… starboard and portside," Kiana said.
"What? We're neck-deep within the Himmel Defensive Line! How the hell did they-" Theresa clenched her jaw. That's right. They were breaching the Himmel Defensive Line. Their entrance must have created a hole in the defenses.
"Madam Theresa! We're getting bombarded on all sides!"
"Kiana."
Kiana looked over to Himeko, who had a smirk on her face.
"Idiot. Come on. Leave it to us, Auntie," Kiana said.
She and Himeko left the room, leaving Theresa to wonder what they were talking about.
"What the hell do you mean leave it to you?" she asked.
[Kiana! Himeko! What the hell are you two doing!?]
Theresa's voice echoed through their channels. The two were racing out onto the deck. For Kiana, this was the second time in less than 30 minutes. Her drive to break through all the obstacles the world decided to put in the way between her and her sister was making her heart race.
[Shit! Our shields… you two-]
A Templar pierced through the energy barrier, inviting with it a swarm of Honkai angels. As it was about to land, a violet slash of energy split it in half.
"Relax, Principal. Kiana and I are on deck. It's time for the Far East Branch's Ace Valkyries to enter the scene," Himeko said, hefting her violet greatsword, Schiffschneider, on her shoulder.
Kiana twirled the Pistols of Shamash before aiming them at several honkai beasts. She let loose a volley of flaming bullets, each one melting through their carapace like butter.
"Let's play a game, Himeko. The one with the least amount of kills has to pay our entire tab at the bar by the end of the week," Kiana said, twirling her guns.
Himeko raised an eyebrow. A challenging smirk appeared on her face. Lightning crackled around the blade of her Schiffschneider. "Okay then. But don't cry when you lose. I'm going to be adding to that tab on our next visit."
Kiana smiled. Her heel shifted, and she took off, disappearing from Himeko's line of sight.
"H- Hey!" Himeko ran after her.
Kiana spun in the air, unleashing a vortex of flames. The flames consumed the honkai beasts around her, reducing them to charred husks.
A Templar Beast rushed to meet her head on, however, an orange line etched itself into the space around it.
Kiana appeared behind it, Shamash fully drawn in its sword form.
"That's 4 for me." She rushed toward another Honkai Beast, a Knight.
However, before she could reach it, a violet wave of lightning slammed into it, knocking it and three other Honkai beasts off the ship's deck.
"7."
"That's cheating! You stole my kill!" Kiana yelled.
"What? I stole your kill? You were clearly going for my kill!" Himeko barked.
"You…" Kiana's eyes flitted to look over Himeko's shoulder. She grabbed Himeko, pulling her toward her. She thrust Shamash forward, stabbing it into the Knight. Its blade was mere inches from skewering her friend.
Kiana grinned before unleashing a torrent of rapidly expanding, orange flames. The flames rose, consuming all Honkai beasts caught within it.
"11!"
"What!?" Himeko yelled, seeing the explosion happening before her eyes.
[You two idiots. Can you not race while we're fighting for our lives?] Theresa asked.
"No can do, Headmaster. I'm not about to pay our bar tab," Himeko replied.
Kiana said nothing and jumped into the air. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The Honkai energy within her body. Energy that permeated her every organ, tissue, cell, even down to her genetic core. She could feel its cold, along with other sensations she had never noticed before.
She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of blue irises within black sclera. Mist wafted around her hand and she formed a greatsword made of ice.
Swinging simultaneously with Shamash, she swung both blades in an X-formation, unleashing a blast of both flames and frost.
The ensuing blast wave traveled through the air, decimating a swarm of Honkai beast that were heading for the bow of the Helios.
A blast of hot and cold wind washed over the entire deck, forcing Himeko to root herself to the food with Schiffenschneider.
"Damnit, Kiana! You're using your ice powers!" Himeko said.
"There were no rules against it. Besides," Kiana said, dispersing the sword into mist. "We need to ramp it up."
Himeko saw the look in her eyes and nodded. She gripped the sword tightly. A copious amount of electricity coated the sword. With a roar, she unleashed a swing, causing a violent explosion of lightning to appear above.
"20!" Himeko panted, seeing corpses from various Honkai beasts landing on the deck.
"That blast I fired took out 15 so I have 26," Kiana said, pulling Shamash out from the corpse of a Templar. "Ah, make that 27."
"Tch… Theresa, how much do we have left? Is it clearing up?" Himeko asked.
[Our radar shows we have a few more incoming. Kriemhilde went to intercept them. We just need you two to take care of any stragglers, capiche?] Theresa said.
"Not like we need to." Kiana saw a series of explosions in the distance. "Looks like she might have gone scorched earth on that swarm."
Himeko placed a hand on her forehead, covering her eyes from the sun as she stared off into the distance. "Yeah. There might not be a need for it, Theresa."
[Hmm? I'm forwarding our sonar data to you two. We're picking up a massive Honkai energy signature.]
Kiana and Himeko exchanged glances.
Kiana swiped the air in front of her, expanding the virtual HUD of her battlesuit.
[What? Are you sure you're reading it right?]
"Reading what right?" Kiana asked.
All of a sudden, every fibre of her being yelled at her to move. She jumped, avoiding several blasts of lightning that had seemingly come from nowhere.
"What? What's going on!?" Himeko asked, avoiding the lightning bolts. The skies were relatively clear and they were flying above cloud cover so how… were there lightning bolts this high in the atmosphere.
Dry lightning? No… the trajectory of the bolts. They're too precise for it to be a random act of chance, Kiana thought.
A lightning bolt zipped toward her. She swung Shamash, dispersing it into multiple harmless bolts of electricity. The split bolt landed on several sides of the ship's deck, leaving scorch marks where it hit.
[Kiana. Himeko. Get ready. Our radar and sensors are picking up a Honkai Beast. Our current estimates place it at… Judgement Class.]
"A Judgement Class? Here? Judgement Class only spawn whenever a Herrscher-" Kiana's eyes widened as she answered her own question. She turned in the direction of Schicksal's headquarters. Were they too late? She gripped Shamash tightly and shook her head.
No, I refuse to believe that. Ceci… please… wait for me.
"Is that a…?" Himeko said.
Above them, flying around the Helios was a massive white dragon that was several meters in length. Its white plates glinted in the sunlight as it spread its blue, glowing wings. It roared, causing the markings in its black underside to glow. It had no visible eyes which it could use to see but Kiana knew it was staring at them.
"Yeah." Kiana gripped Shamash tightly and swung. She wouldn't even allow the Dragon a chance to land.
The flaming slash ripped across the air, striking the Dragon in the side.
The Dragon roared in pain before diving toward them.
"Himeko!"
"I was about to say the same thing!"
The two dove out of the way, narrowly dodging its sharp talons. Its landing on the Helios caused the entire ship to dip slightly into the clouds. It slammed its foot on the deck, denting the metal hull of the ship.
With a swipe of its tail, it wiped out all the artillery batteries on the ship's starboard side. Its roar dispersed all the clouds within the ship's vicinity.
It took out our entire starboard side. Damn it! Kiana got to her feet and faced it down.
The Dragon turned in her direction and roared. It lunged forward, intending on slamming its paw down on top of her.
Kiana dodged, jumping back in the nick of time. It's surprisingly fast. As expected of the Judgement Class. This thing is nothing like Chiyou! Kiana thought, her mind briefly flying back to the cataclysmic Honkai Beast inside her head.
She unleashed several high-speed slashes with Shamash, leaving visible marks on its extremely durable silicon carapace.
Her eyes widened and she instinctively raised the flat of the flaming sword, blocking its massive tail at the last second.
Kiana let out a cough of pain as she flew across the deck and slammed into one of the exhaust vents.
"Ugh…" she shakily got to her feet, feeling her body stitch itself close.
"Kiana! Get down!"
Himeko grabbed her white-haired friend, moving out of the way as a beam of blue energy ripped across the ship. A trail of frost formed beneath the beam.
"It can breathe ice lasers?" Kiana said incredulously.
"And I thought you were the only one that can throw ice," Himeko joked.
[Himeko. Kiana. The Helios's power cells have recovered enough energy to fire another blast. Just give me the signal and we can hit this thing with everything we got!] Theresa's voice came over their channels.
[I'm here too to provide air support so don't be hesitant in attacking.] Kriemhilde chimed in. As if on cue, the Fafnir dove down from the sky, pelting the Dragon with a hail of bullets.
The Dragon roared, turning its attention on the Fafnir. Its once blue wings turned violet and the static in the air began to build up.
"Shit! We need to get its attention back and fast!" Kiana yelled.
"Got it! On three. One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
The two ran toward it, brandishing their weapons. Kiana made it to the Dragon first, slashing upward before diving into a spinning storm of slashes that caught the Dragon offguard.
"Himeko!" Kiana yelled. She looked up and saw the Dragon slamming its electrified talons down on top of her.
"Hey, you overgrown gecko! Over here!" Himeko yelled. She twisted Schiffenschneider's handle.
[Activating Nexus System]
Kiana held back the Dragon's talents. A cold bead of sweat trickled down her forehead when she heard those words.
The Nexus System. It was an amplification module outfitted into the Scarlet Nexus Battlesuit. Once activated, it delivered an immense amount of Honkai energy to the Valkyrie, strengthening them beyond their normal physical capabilities. The last time Himeko had used it was during the battle of Nagazora. When connected to a power source equivalent to a battleship like the Hyperion, Himeko's Honkai output was equivalent to that of an Emperor Class Honkai Beast. In short, the woman would become a walking nuke with enough energy to vaporize an entire city. And she did.
But the system was not without drawbacks.
"Himeko! Are you crazy! Do you remember what it's going to do to you-"
"Shut up! I'm not letting you get turned into mayo before you get to see Cecilia again!" Himeko spat, swinging Schiffenschneider.
A powerful wave of kinetic energy ripped through the air. The amount of force and heat generated was so intense that it produced light. The wave slammed into the Dragon, knocking it off Kiana and into the air. Clearly, it had not anticipated such an impact as it hovered in a daze.
"Kiana! Now!" Himeko screamed.
"Got it! Shamash, release Limiter Level 1!" Kiana adjusted her grip on Shamash. The flames from the blade surged, twisting and coating it in a flaming orange aura of light and heat. Kiana let out a battle cry as she slashed the air, leaving an orange line of light across the world.
An explosion ensued, smaller than the one that had taken out the Command Class Ship earlier. However, it was effective in dealing damage to the Dragon.
The Dragon roared and ascended into the air, sporting several burns. Trails of blue fluid ran down several areas on its body.
It growled. Its wings and markings began to grow brightly, causing the sky to darken slightly.
[What…? It's still rising? Just how strong is this thing!? It's almost completely surpassed Chiyou!] Theresa exclaimed.
"Then… I… No, now's not the time. Himeko. I'm going to do it," Kiana said.
"Do what?" her friend replied, feeling uneasy by her statement.
Kiana closed her eyes and focused. That feeling she felt in the Stigmata Space, speaking to her and the Shadow. She needed to emulate it again.
"Make the choice. Cast aside your humanity and become something more…"
Kiana's eyes opened, revealing her glowing blue irises amid a pitch-black pupil. A blast of cold air was expelled from her body, forcing Himeko back. A patch of ice formed around where she stood and the air around her began to mist.
"The Power of the Chimera."
That woman named KIANA. Her words still echoed in her mind.
[Himeko! What's happening? I'm detecting an increase in honkai energy in Kiana… it's… still climbing. It's reaching Emperor Class. No, wait, it's about to surpass it! Himeko, stop her-]
"No!" Kiana rasped as violet lines began to form on her skin. "I need to…" Dark carapace began to cover her arms. Her nails elongated into talons. Blue flames surged around her, causing the winds to pick up.
"Kiana, stop!" Himeko yelled.
"I… Whatever it takes, whatever the cost, I'll do anything to get her back!" Kiana said.
[Kiana-]
[Theresa, Himeko, Kiana. We have an unknown signature heading in your direction. It's moving too fast for my sensors to identify.]
[Now another one? They just keep coming!] Theresa said in frustration.
Kiana snapped her head up, eyes staring at the Dragon with a slight feral madness in her eyes. She gripped Shamash tightly, causing the flames to burn brightly. As she was about to lunge toward it, a flash of light bombarded the Dragon.
Kiana stopped, ceasing her transformation prematurely.
The Dragon turned around, roaring at its new opponent.
"Theresa, was that you? Did you call for reinforcements?" Himeko asked.
[No, that wasn't me.]
Kiana looked up at the sky and her eyes grew wide in shock. "Y- You?" Kiana said in disbelief, briefly catching a glimpse of the figure. Her jaw clenched. "You…."
It was her.
The figure took off, luring the Dragon away.
"WAIT!"
Kiana let out an angered roar as she swung Shamash again, unleashing a massive wave of flames that traveled at high speeds at both the Dragon and the figure.
In the distance, an orange sphere detonated, causing hurricane-force winds to slam into the Helios.
Himeko raised her arms, shielding herself from the heat.
At least she… Himeko glanced at Kiana, whose body was slowly returning to normal.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Kiana said, slamming her foot on the deck.
"Kiana-"
"It was her. That damn bitch that took her!" Kiana seethed.
Himeko quieted down. So… Fu Hua, that was you?
[At least, whatever that was, it got the Dragon away from us. But… we still have another wave of beasts incoming. You two. Focus or we'll go down before we can reach the Headquarters.] Theresa said.
Her words were the only things to snap Kiana out of her rage-induced haze. She wiped a few tears that streaked down her face and looked up.
Himeko almost backed away. Her blue eyes were cold.
"Let's go." Her tone was low and mechanical in nature.
"R- Right. But… there's no end to these things. We can't hold out forever. Theresa, any ideas?" Himeko asked.
Several Templar landed in front of them, along with a swarm of Angels.
Himeko bit her lip in annoyance. Even if they were small fry, there were just too many. Were they all appearing now en masse because of that Judgement Class Honkai Beast? Even still, the rate at which they were spawning was almost on the level of an Eruption.
[Don't worry, Miss Himeko. We have the perfect solution to your problem, right here.]
A new voice spoke within their communication channel.
Kiana's eyes widened slightly. A tired grin appeared on her face, her rage momentarily forgotten. "Took you long enough to get here, Doctor Einstein."
[My apologies, Kiana. After you guys cracked the Himmel Defensive Line, Otto was quick to reinforce it. I'm afraid your way in is no longer your way back out.] Einstein replied.
"Tch… figures," Kiana scoffed.
[How typical. Grandpa only wanted this to be a one-way entry. Whatever, our priority is to get Cecilia back before Grandpa does something to her. Can you help us breach the ground defense, assuming we make it through this?] Theresa asked.
[Don't worry. We won't let you down. We've sent a few UAVs to assist the Fafnir in aerial combat. Tesla is with them so they should be fine. Just let us take over from here. After all, it's time we paid our little Bianka Ataegina for the services that she did over the years.]
As if on cue, several Mechs materialized aboard the Helios's deck. All of them stood up, focusing their sights on the oncoming swarm of Honkai Beasts.
[Well then.] Einstein said as a dark blue mech stepped forward. Its lone eye glowed and it pumped its fists together.
[Let's clean up.]
The Himmel Defensive Line is something I made up so don't go looking around for it. Himmel is German for "Heaven" or "Sky". Kind of fitting name for a defensive array of a literal floating island. Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed that I've been playing too much Armored Core 6 even though I beat the entire thing 2 months ago because of the chapter name.